During a visit to China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Bakyt Torobaev and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Secretary of the Party Committee of XUAR Ma Xingrui discussed increasing trade turnover between the two countries, reports Economist.kg.
Earlier, during Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s visit to China in February 2025, the leaders of both countries agreed on measures to expand bilateral trade.
According to the agreements reached, the governments of Kyrgyzstan and China have set a goal to increase trade turnover to $45 billion by 2030.
At the meeting in Urumqi, Bakyt Torobaev and Ma Xingrui discussed specific steps to fulfill this directive. The primary focus was on modernizing transport and logistics infrastructure, removing border barriers, and improving conditions for mutual investments.
One of the key outcomes of the negotiations was the discussion of a grant from China for the development of transport infrastructure.
The grant, amounting to $41.4 million, will be provided by China to Kyrgyzstan for the construction of a new border checkpoint (BCP) “Bedel” on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border.
China has also expressed its intention to construct a railway connecting Aksu, Bedel, and Balykchy. This proposal was made by the governor of China’s Aksu Prefecture during a meeting with Torobaev. Notably, ethnic Kyrgyz make up a significant portion of the population in Aksu.
This project is also directly linked to the development of the Barskoon – Bedel – Uchturfan – Aksu transport corridor, which will connect Kyrgyzstan and China, providing an alternative route for freight transportation.
Additionally, the need to ensure the full operation and modernization of the existing border checkpoints Torugart and Irkeshtam on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border was emphasized. Both sides noted that these initiatives would significantly contribute to the growth of mutual trade between the two countries.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 17, 2025